He can’t play by himself (despite what his father and agent think) and if his teammates are off him then he isn’t worth having in the team.
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
Dennisspicer1
Well-known member
Last I heard a broken finger that had to be operated on.
but it's a worry, we have this young guy and Skelton who don't seem to be able to play two games without getting an injury, stains has become the same.
but it's a worry, we have this young guy and Skelton who don't seem to be able to play two games without getting an injury, stains has become the same.
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
Didn’t he have injuries at Manly too or am I just imaging things?
Tom Shines
Well-known member
he is an absolute waste of space … wants the Tigers to fall over so the Bulldogs can absorb the South West … a real germ
Kelce68
Well-known member
Bud.
With all due respect to James Graham, if brains were dynamite he couldn’t blow his nose. I mean he was a grub as a player and now he trying to maintain some relevance in the game. He got 12 weeks for biting. Threatened referees when decisions didn’t go his way and used to cover his legs in Vaseline so players who tried to tackle him low were likely going be blinded.
king_sirro
Well-known member
James Graham makes Gordon Tallis seem like Einstein. His utter stupidity and arrogant rudeness to those he is having a conversation with leave me astounded he is employed in the media and there are still people willing to work with him
I dunno he wants to go to a different club / different coach / different spine as it’s important at this stage of his career to build his halves game.
I think whatever his next club is, it isn’t his final resting place.
He will probably sign 2 year contracts for a few clubs until he settles at a club ready to win it all.
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
MUST READ ... gives me goosebumps!
‘I’m ready’: Latu Fainu ready to make Galvin’s No.6 jersey his own
ByAdrian Proszenko
April 16, 2025 — 3.45pm
Latu Fainu has declared himself ready to step into Lachlan Galvin’s No.6 jersey, believing coach Benji Marshall’s guidance will help fulfil his ambition of becoming Jarome Luai’s long-time halves partner.
Galvin’s future at the club has become clouded after his decision not to entertain a lucrative contract extension in the belief Marshall couldn’t take his game to the next level. At the urging of senior players, Marshall dropped Galvin to NSW Cup.
Phil Gould has labelled the situation “untenable” and predicts there is no way Galvin will see out the remainder of his Tigers contract, which expires at the end of 2026.
Whether Galvin moves on now or later, Fainu is considered the playmaker most likely to fill the void. Currently unavailable due to a hand injury that will likely sideline him for a further three weeks, Fainu has made 11 NRL appearances to date, predominantly off the bench.
However, the 19-year-old believes he is ready to play alongside Luai and make the No.6 jersey his own.
“100 per cent. If [Galvin] is not there, I’m ready,” Fainu said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this team better. For me, if it means getting that six role, I’m all in.
“When I first came to Wests Tigers, they brought me to play in the halves. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. That’s the position I’ve been playing my whole career, since I started playing footy. I feel most comfortable there, I feel I can add more value to the team as a half.
“Whatever the team needs, I’m all in. I love the club.”
While Galvin says he can’t play his best football under Marshall, Fainu believes the former premiership-winning pivot is the perfect person to guide his career.
“Obviously, he has helped me so much on and off the field,” Fainu said of Marshall.
“He was a great player and is a great coach for me. He makes me comfortable in the side and makes me play my best.
“Honestly, when he joins our sessions, I just watch him. When he trains, you get a feel for the mix of how he wants to play and how I want to play. I just want to play like him.
“Whatever the team needs, I’m all in. I love the club.”
“He knows what is best for me as a player. He has given me and my brothers a debut in the NRL. I’m truly grateful to have him as my coach.”
Like Galvin, Fainu was dubbed as the next big thing while coming through the junior ranks. In late 2021, when he was still 16 and at Manly, Fainu signed the biggest contract ever for a player yet to reach NRL level.
When he switched to the Tigers, where he played alongside Galvin in the lower grades, it was Fainu who wore the coveted No.6 jersey.
“He was playing at fullback and then switched to second row when he was playing with me,” Fainu recalled.
The Guilford product said he was keen to play as much football alongside four-time premiership-winning playmaker Luai as possible.
“He’s a great role model, especially for me as a half,” the Tongan international said of Luai. “He knows what he’s doing in on-field situations, but off field he knows what to bring with the culture of the team. He’s just a great person to be around.
“I’m trying to learn as much as I can off him. As much as I want to play this week, I know that I’m injured.
“In talking to Jarome Luai, he’s keeping me up to date and encourages me to take control and play halves with him.”
Fainu said the prospect of playing behind a pack that included Terrell May, Fonua Pole, Alex Twal and Royce Hunt was an exciting one.
“100 per cent, they make our jobs easier,” he said.
“They get to our spots quicker, it makes it so much easier for all of our spine, especially me, Api [Koroisau], Jarome and Jahream [Bula].”
Fainu has already achieved his ambition of playing alongside his brothers Sione and Samuela - who are in the side for the Easter Monday clash against Parramatta - at the Tigers. Now he hopes they get to add to the tally.
“That’s the only thing we want for each other, to play first grade,” he said.
“To continue to play first grade at Tigers, that would be a dream come true.
“It means a lot, they are the only team that trusted us to all play together at the same club.”
‘I’m ready’: Latu Fainu ready to make Galvin’s No.6 jersey his own
ByAdrian Proszenko
April 16, 2025 — 3.45pm
Latu Fainu has declared himself ready to step into Lachlan Galvin’s No.6 jersey, believing coach Benji Marshall’s guidance will help fulfil his ambition of becoming Jarome Luai’s long-time halves partner.
Galvin’s future at the club has become clouded after his decision not to entertain a lucrative contract extension in the belief Marshall couldn’t take his game to the next level. At the urging of senior players, Marshall dropped Galvin to NSW Cup.
Phil Gould has labelled the situation “untenable” and predicts there is no way Galvin will see out the remainder of his Tigers contract, which expires at the end of 2026.
Whether Galvin moves on now or later, Fainu is considered the playmaker most likely to fill the void. Currently unavailable due to a hand injury that will likely sideline him for a further three weeks, Fainu has made 11 NRL appearances to date, predominantly off the bench.
However, the 19-year-old believes he is ready to play alongside Luai and make the No.6 jersey his own.
“100 per cent. If [Galvin] is not there, I’m ready,” Fainu said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this team better. For me, if it means getting that six role, I’m all in.
“When I first came to Wests Tigers, they brought me to play in the halves. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. That’s the position I’ve been playing my whole career, since I started playing footy. I feel most comfortable there, I feel I can add more value to the team as a half.
“Whatever the team needs, I’m all in. I love the club.”
While Galvin says he can’t play his best football under Marshall, Fainu believes the former premiership-winning pivot is the perfect person to guide his career.
“Obviously, he has helped me so much on and off the field,” Fainu said of Marshall.
“He was a great player and is a great coach for me. He makes me comfortable in the side and makes me play my best.
“Honestly, when he joins our sessions, I just watch him. When he trains, you get a feel for the mix of how he wants to play and how I want to play. I just want to play like him.
“Whatever the team needs, I’m all in. I love the club.”
“He knows what is best for me as a player. He has given me and my brothers a debut in the NRL. I’m truly grateful to have him as my coach.”
Like Galvin, Fainu was dubbed as the next big thing while coming through the junior ranks. In late 2021, when he was still 16 and at Manly, Fainu signed the biggest contract ever for a player yet to reach NRL level.
When he switched to the Tigers, where he played alongside Galvin in the lower grades, it was Fainu who wore the coveted No.6 jersey.
“He was playing at fullback and then switched to second row when he was playing with me,” Fainu recalled.
The Guilford product said he was keen to play as much football alongside four-time premiership-winning playmaker Luai as possible.
“He’s a great role model, especially for me as a half,” the Tongan international said of Luai. “He knows what he’s doing in on-field situations, but off field he knows what to bring with the culture of the team. He’s just a great person to be around.
“I’m trying to learn as much as I can off him. As much as I want to play this week, I know that I’m injured.
“In talking to Jarome Luai, he’s keeping me up to date and encourages me to take control and play halves with him.”
Fainu said the prospect of playing behind a pack that included Terrell May, Fonua Pole, Alex Twal and Royce Hunt was an exciting one.
“100 per cent, they make our jobs easier,” he said.
“They get to our spots quicker, it makes it so much easier for all of our spine, especially me, Api [Koroisau], Jarome and Jahream [Bula].”
Fainu has already achieved his ambition of playing alongside his brothers Sione and Samuela - who are in the side for the Easter Monday clash against Parramatta - at the Tigers. Now he hopes they get to add to the tally.
“That’s the only thing we want for each other, to play first grade,” he said.
“To continue to play first grade at Tigers, that would be a dream come true.
“It means a lot, they are the only team that trusted us to all play together at the same club.”
And that my friends is why he WILL be in the halves with Laui when fit.
They will get so much better as Latu understand his role and respects what Laui has done..
So excited and we can add more power to the team with the freed-up cash.
tiger05premier
Well-known member
Thanks for posting
It was an awesome read
Hopefully once he is back he stays fit and healthy
What the final Warriors try vs us.
Player playing the ball has Faatape under neath them, moves forward and too the left which drags our markers across. Then the play goes to the blind with our defenders already being dragged in by the play the ball being brought infield by a foot.
Oh well.
SwervinMervin
Well-known member
That, my friends, is a clubman. The type of player we want at Wests Tigers. A 19 year old who appreciates the opportunity he has to be part of something special. I think the club comes out of this way better off. We just need him to stay on the field for a prolonged stretch.
Rock Hopper Steve
Well-known member
Yeah Sonny Bill footprint could be all over it.
he does not want to come back and who's fault is that one??
weststigers
Well-known member
Because leaving him there when he will probably be gone by seasons end or next season at the latest is going to stifle the combinations of the halves that will be here.
He didn't even want to view our offer mate. It shows what he thinks of Benji and the group and understandably, they don't want to play with him.
The disharmony alone is reason enough to drop him.
SwervinMervin
Well-known member
Why is James Graham so disdainful of the Tigers? It’s not so long ago that the Bulldogs were anchored to the bottom of the ladder. I don’t think he is a halfwit but his take on certain scenarios is so often way off the mark. He doesn’t do his homework either. Cheese is a much better pundit. His take on it was, move on, tigers might end up better off.
SwervinMervin
Well-known member
He picked Canberra to finish last. That’s aged well! He’s actually a really good example of a guy who could play the game really well but doesn’t know anything about it.
Can't control what the media say and do when something like this happens.
If RPLA are so concerned about 19 year olds maybe support a change in the system in relation to contract negs and a trade window that doesn't impact on the competition - which they are so against.
You expect fan support - this is what it looks like when this crap happens six weeks into season. Don't pretend you care that much
If RPLA are so concerned about 19 year olds maybe support a change in the system in relation to contract negs and a trade window that doesn't impact on the competition - which they are so against.
You expect fan support - this is what it looks like when this crap happens six weeks into season. Don't pretend you care that much
